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Members of the Boise City Council are (back, L-R) council members TJ Thomson, Ben Quintana, Lauren McLean, Scot Ludwig (front, L-R) Council Pro Tem Elaine Clegg, Mayor David H. Bieter and Council President Maryanne Jordan.

The Mayor works full-time, managing the day-to-day operations of the City and providing leadership and policy direction to the City Council. The Mayor chairs all meetings of the City Council, voting only in the case of a tie. The six members of the City Council work part-time, holding budget and policy-setting authority for the city. The Mayor and City Council members are elected at large by popular vote. City Council members are elected to a specific Council seat, but the seats are not determined geographically. City elections are held in odd number years (e.g. 2007, 2009, 2011).

Boise, Oct. 12, 2010 - Mayor David Bieter
today announced the successful negotiation of the City's Police and
Fire collective labor agreements, each effective through 2013.
Terms of the separate agreements call for no wage increases for
Police or Fire union members until October 2011.

The Mayor also announced the
establishment of a Police and Fire Heath Care Trust, an innovative
plan that will allow the Police and Fire unions to jointly
administer their own health care plan while saving the City of
Boise an estimated $11.5 million in future unfunded
liabilities.

Memberships of both the International
Brotherhood of Police Officers Local 486 and the International
Association of Firefighters Local 149 approved their respective
agreements in earlier votes. Resolutions regarding the two
collective labor agreements and the health care trust will be
presented to the City Council this evening, where they are expected
to be ratified.

"These agreements and the establishment
of this new health care trust will protect both our residents'
safety and their pocketbooks," Mayor Bieter said. "By maintaining
quality police and fire services for the next three years, we
ensure Boise residents can sleep soundly knowing their families
will have the help they need in times of crisis. By holding down
wage increases and eliminating a major portion of the city's long
term financial obligations, we allow residents to know that their
tax dollars are being well managed."

"By working together on these issues, we
have reached a solution that is beneficial to both unions and the
City of Boise," International Brotherhood of Police Officers Local
486 president Guy Bourgeau said.

"With a great deal of hard work on both
sides, we succeeded in coming to an agreement that ensures that
both Boise Police and Boise Fire will continue to be the leading
agencies in the State of Idaho while at the same time addressing
some very significant financial concerns of the city."

"In these difficult economic times it is
refreshing to see labor and management come together and resolve
issues that create a win-win for both sides," Boise Firefighters
Local 149 President Greg Womack said. "Both unions entered into
this agreement to preserve health care access for our retirees.
This agreement allows that to happen while still resolving the
City's GASB obligation -- a far better solution than the state
model that immediately severed retiree health care access. This
agreement should be held up across the country as a model for
others to follow."

Health Care Trust

Under the terms of the Health Care Trust
agreement, the City of Boise will make a one-time contribution of
$4.5 million to establish a new trust to fund eligible Police and
Fire personnel health care plans. Transferring Police and Fire
health care benefits to an outside trust will vastly reduce the
City's GASB 45 obligation, which is currently estimated to be
approximately $16 million for police and fire employees, and was
expected to increase by an estimated 6.9% per year had the city not
taken this action.

GASB 45, or Government Accounting
Standards Board provision 45, was established in 2004 and requires
government employers to measure, report and resolve unfunded
liabilities associated with non-pension post-employment benefits
such as health care coverage for retired personnel prior to
Medicare eligibility. The one-time $4.5 million payment will come
from savings generated by skillful management of the City's own
health care trust.

Establishment of the trust also allows
the City to move from a defined benefit standard to a defined
contribution standard for Police and Fire, as it has with all other
city employees. A defined contribution standard allows for greater
stability in health benefit costs for municipalities.
Terms of the defined contribution have been negotiated through
December 2018.

Police Collective Labor Agreement Highlights:

· Agreement effective from April 1, 2010 to September 30,
2013
· No wage increase from April 2010 to September 2011
· A 2.5% increase effective October 2011
· A 2.5% increase effective October 2012
· An increase to 12 in the number of civilian service officer
positions allowed. (Civilian positions are more cost efficient than
sworn officers.)
· A change in grievance policy requiring the loser of a hearing to
pay the hearing officer's fee.
· An incentive of $300 for those who do not use any sick leave
during the year and $200 for those who use 24 hours or fewer.

Fire Collective Labor Agreement Highlights

· Agreement effective from October 1, 2010 through September 30,
2013
· No wage increase from October 2010 to September 2011
· A 2.5 % increase effective October 2011
· A 2.5% increase effective October 2012.
· A requirement that vacation be used in blocks of time rather that
just a few hours to allow for greater staffing efficiency
· Adjustments to the structure of specialty teams to give the Chief
more flexibility in the number of team participants and the
membership makeup of the team
· An incentive of $300 for those who do not use any sick leave
during the year and $200 for those who use 24 hours or fewer # #
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